Sell your car for parts – the ultimate guide
If you’ve got an old car that isn’t worth much or has mechanical issues that are too expensive to fix, you’ve probably thought about scrapping it.
Scrapping is the quickest way to dispose of a car at the end of its life quickly. Here at Motorway, you can sell your scrap car, and find a great offer from our nationwide network of 5,000+ verified dealers, but if you’re willing to get your hands dirty, there might be more money to be made by selling for parts…
In reality, scrapping an average car will land you around £100 to £500 and possibly less. However, there is still hope to get much more! You could earn more cash by breaking the car up into its components and selling it for parts.
It will take longer, but you’re almost guaranteed to make more money than you would by scrapping it.
Sell your car for parts explained:
- How long will it take to strip my car for parts?
- What are the easiest car parts to sell?
- Where can I sell my car’s parts?
- How much money will I make if I sell my car for parts?
How long will it take to strip my car for parts?
This question totally depends on your manual skills, if you’re a great DIYer around the home, then it shouldn’t take you any time at all. If you’ve never picked up a socket set in your life, you could be in it for the long haul.
On average, it takes around 6 to 8 hours to remove an engine from a car, this depends on make and model, but if you use this as a ballpark figure, it will give you a good idea.
Things like seats and interior trim are far easier to remove, they’ll be held in with clips or a few bolts. The same goes for bodywork and bumpers.
Airbags and steering wheels are tricky, and you need to remember that buyers most likely want undamaged parts, so if you break or scratch things while removing them, they’ll be next to worthless.
What are the easiest car parts to sell?
Often it can be quicker to just remove and sell the parts that will get you the most money, then offer the car to a scrap merchant. You’re likely to be offered the same or a similar price for just the shell as you would the whole vehicle.
There are a few parts that are easier to sell than others, that’s because they’re highly sort after or are relatively easy to swap out.
1. Engine – there will always be someone in need of a replacement engine, either for a straight swap, a rebuild or just to strip for the parts they need. The price you’ll get will depend on the mileage though.
2. Gearbox – another part that’s always in need are gearboxes, either to be rebuilt or simply replace a failed one. Again, the price will be dependant on the mileage and if all the gears engage.
3. Airbags – unfortunately, cars have accidents and airbags deploy, they’ll always be a need for unused airbags. Buying new from manufacturers is expensive, so second-hand ones always sell quickly.
4. Seats – probably one of the easiest things to remove in most cars are the seats, they simply bolt to the floor and can fetch a reasonable price second hand. Maybe someone has a rip or a burn in theirs and are looking to replace them for a less abused set.
Where can I sell my car’s parts?
If you’ve removed all these bits, then you’re going to want to sell them, and eBay is your friend for two reasons.
Firstly, you probably don’t know how much any of this stuff is worth, a quick search on eBay will show at least one other if not hundreds depending on your car.
This will give you a good idea of how to price your parts, make them the cheapest on the site for a quick sale, or value them higher if they’re in superb condition.
Secondly is when it comes to actually selling, eBay is probably the biggest marketplace for used car parts online so you’re offering your parts to the broadest possible audience.
Gumtree is also an excellent place to sell, it’s not as strict as eBay though in terms of purchasing, with the deals and arrangements being word of mouth only rather than a binding agreement, with protections if something goes wrong, as it is on eBay.
How much money will I make if I sell my car for parts?
Now for the big question, how much will you make from selling your car for parts? It’s like asking how long a piece of string is, you won’t actually know until everything is sold. It also depends on the make, model, and even the trim.
You could well have a really rare model with particularly desirable seats, or maybe your engine seldom comes up for sale and someone has been waiting months for one. Until you start looking on eBay or Gumtree to check prices, you just won’t know.
Don’t forget that it takes time to sell your car for parts, it could be months not weeks to shift everything. Therefore, you need somewhere to store it all without getting damaged until it sells.
You’ll make more money than scrapping it, but your time and effort are the cost.
Is it time to sell your car?
Want to learn more about owning, maintaining, and selling your car? Check out more of our guides here, covering everything from finding buyers, to negotiating a good price, and completing payment safely.